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4 Keys to Being a Good Soldier of Jesus Christ

Gaining the Victory in Spiritual Warfare

“Thou therefore endure
hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself
with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be
a soldier.”—2 Timothy 2:3–4

A man was coming out of
church one day, and the pastor was standing at the door, as he always was, to
shake hands with the worshippers. As he shook the man’s hand, he pulled him
aside and said, “You really need to join the army of the Lord.”

The man replied, “I’m
already in the army of the Lord, Pastor.”

So the Pastor enquired, “Then
why do I only see you at Christmas and at Easter?”

The man whispered back, “I’m
in the secret service.”

Christians are in a
spiritual warfare. The devil, the world, and the flesh are real enemies. These
spiritual enemies are out to destroy the testimony and effectiveness of the
believer. The enemy will seek to take you out or make you a prisoner of war.
Thus, we are called upon to be good soldiers for the war.

How can we be good
soldiers of Jesus Christ? What does it take for us to be soldiers who are
victorious in the spiritual conflict?

First, We Must Be Dedicated

We are called to be good
soldiers of Jesus Christ. We are enlisted as His soldiers. We are dedicated to
His cause. The flag we wave is the flag of Heaven. Those around us should have
no questions about our loyalty as His soldiers.

Second, We Must Be Durable

Paul told Timothy to
endure hardness. Enduring hardness means we should not allow ourselves to
become easily discouraged. It means we are prepared for conflict at all times
of the day: in the wee hours of the morning or late in the night. It means we
should not back down from the threats of the enemy. It means we will not allow
the casualties around us to make us quit. A good soldier does not think about
quitting!

Third, We Must Be Deliberate

Paul said, “No man that
warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life.” A good soldier is
not distracted by all the things going on in this life. His focus is to
represent the Lord Jesus well in the conflict and to make sure He wins.
Distractions could result in being hit by a fiery dart of the wicked one. Distractions
could make us the target of a spiritual assassin. Distractions could cause us
to turn our backs and become vulnerable to satanic attacks.

Fourth, We Must Be Delightful

Our number one priority
as soldiers is to please the Lord! God is most pleased with us when we follow
our orders, we are diligent at our post, we are vigilant as watchmen, we are
loyal to our cause, we fight to win, and we are steadfast at all times.

Being a good soldier
requires effort. We must realize that we are not called to be part time
soldiers. We do not wrestle with, “Flesh
and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places”
(Ephesians 6:12).

Let us go onward and
forward for the cause of Christ! Lift His royal banner and do not let it suffer
loss. Let it be known we are in the Lord’s army, and as His soldiers we are earnestly
contending for the faith once delivered to the saints.

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